Lexical Summary
qetal: To slay, to kill
Original Word:קְטַל
Part of Speech:Verb
Transliteration:qtal
Pronunciation:keh-TAHL
Phonetic Spelling:(ket-al')
KJV: slay
NASB:slain, kill, killed, slay, slew
Word Origin:[(Aramaic) corresponding toH6991 (קָטַל - slay)]
1. to kill
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
slay
(Aramaic) corresponding toqatal; to kill -- slay.
see HEBREWqatal
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin(Aramaic) corresponding to
qatalDefinitionto slay
NASB Translationkill (1), killed (1), slain (3), slay (1), slew (1).
Topical Lexicon
Canonical DistributionThe verb appears exclusively in the Aramaic chapters of Daniel (Daniel 2–7). Its seven occurrences are clustered at decisive narrative and prophetic moments, linking the act of putting to death with the rise and fall of earthly kingdoms and with the vindication of God’s people.
Narrative Function in Daniel
1.Daniel 2:13–14 — A royal decree orders the destruction of the wise men of Babylon after their inability to reveal Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. The threatened slaughter forms the backdrop for Daniel’s petition for time, underscoring the contrast between human wrath and divine revelation.
2.Daniel 3:22 — The executioners who cast the three Hebrews into the furnace themselves perish in the flames. The king’s violence recoils upon his own agents, foreshadowing the principle that “those who take up the sword will perish by the sword” (Matthew 26:52).
3.Daniel 5:19 — Nebuchadnezzar’s unchecked authority is summarized: “whomever he wished he executed”. The verb captures the unchecked absolutism that later brings heaven’s rebuke.
4.Daniel 5:30 — Belshazzar is struck down the night the handwriting on the wall is fulfilled: “That very night Belshazzar king of the Chaldeans was slain”. Human pomp meets divine accountability.
5.Daniel 7:11 — The final usage shifts from historical narrative to apocalyptic vision. The fourth beast, emblematic of oppressive world power, is “slain and its body destroyed and thrown into the blazing fire”. Here the verb marks the decisive triumph of God’s kingdom over all hostile powers.
Theological Themes
• Divine Sovereignty over Life and Death
The verb consistently appears where the Lord’s overarching rule counters or overrules human intent. Whether sparing Daniel, rescuing the three Hebrews, or judging Belshazzar and the beast, God alone determines ultimate outcomes.
• Retributive Justice
Several passages exhibit poetic justice: the would-be killers of God’s servants are themselves destroyed (Daniel 3:22); the boastful king who “executed” at will is himself executed (Daniel 5:19, 5:30). The verb thereby reinforces the biblical axiom that wrongdoing recoils upon the wrongdoer.
• Eschatological Hope
InDaniel 7:11 the slaying of the beast anticipates the final defeat of antichristian powers revealed more fully inRevelation 19:19–21. The same divine authority that intervened in Babylon will consummate history.
Historical Background
In Near-Eastern court culture, a monarch’s prerogative to kill or spare symbolized total dominion. Daniel’s court tales expose the fragility of that prerogative when confronted with the God of heaven. The verb thus operates within a milieu where royal commands often meant immediate death, heightening the drama of God’s deliverances.
Pastoral and Ministry Implications
• Courage in Hostile Contexts
Believers serving Christ in governmental or corporate structures can draw strength from Daniel: God can nullify the lethal intents of those in power.
• Preaching on Judgment and Mercy
The balanced recurrence of deliverance (Daniel 2, 3) and judgment (Daniel 5, 7) provides a template for sermons that hold justice and mercy together.
• Eschatological Assurance
The final appearance of the verb encourages congregations to persevere, knowing that the most ferocious powers will ultimately be “slain” by God’s decree.
Christological Foreshadowing
The pattern of faithful servants threatened with death yet preserved points forward to Jesus Christ, whose own death at the hands of worldly authority secures victory over that authority (Acts 2:23–24). Furthermore, the slaying of the beast prefigures the defeat of every dominion opposed to the reign of Christ.
Conclusion
Though numerically limited, the occurrences of the verb weave a coherent testimony: earthly rulers may wield the sword, but the Lord alone has the final word over life and death, history and eternity.
Forms and Transliterations
לְהִתְקְטָלָֽה׃ לְקַטָּלָ֔ה להתקטלה׃ לקטלה מִֽתְקַטְּלִ֑ין מתקטלין קְטִ֕יל קְטִילַ֤ת קַטִּ֣ל קָטֵ֗ל קטיל קטילת קטל kaTel katTil keTil ketiLat lə·hiṯ·qə·ṭā·lāh lə·qaṭ·ṭā·lāh lehitketaLah ləhiṯqəṭālāh lekattaLah ləqaṭṭālāh miṯ·qaṭ·ṭə·lîn mitkatteLin miṯqaṭṭəlîn qā·ṭêl qaṭ·ṭil qāṭêl qaṭṭil qə·ṭî·laṯ qə·ṭîl qəṭîl qəṭîlaṯ
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